eyebrowqueen

They told me that harvesting 500 hairs will require a donor strip of 1 x 4 cm. Such smaller donor strips has the luxury of trying to find a patch of hair that has a curl to it that matches as close as possible the existing angulation of the eyebrow hair growth and is not thicker than an eyebrow hair. I am not prone to scarring, but even if it did leave a nasty scar it will be small and hidden under my hair.

Hi Rootz, I understand your point about supply and demand. I am, however, prepared to pay more for an FUE procedure if it is a better option for me, and I stated this in my consultations. It would seem to me that if a doctor has a patient willing to pay double for FUE, they would not encourage that patient to do an FUT procedure for half the cost unless it truly in their better interest. This was the case with both SMG and Dr. Rahal. They have both performed FUE and FUT and said that yes, they could do FUE if I insist they don't recommend it for me. Instead, they both recommended a procedure that costs less because they think I will get better results with FUT and I don't have to worry about a visible scar. Dr. Shapiro uses the ARTAS Robotic technology so I don't think it's just a matter of FUT being easier than FUE.

Mickey, Is it your opinion that Dr. Ron Shapiro, Dr. Rahal, Dr. Epstein, Dr. Keene and Dr. Wong are not competent enough to perform an FUE procedure if it is in fact the best option? That is a strong statement and I would like to hear their reps comments on this. All of these surgeons (with the exception of Dr. Epstein) are coalition members and all of them perform both FUT and FUE on a regular basis. Dr. Epstein performs more eyebrow transplants than any other surgeon I have come across (4-5 per week) and he has used both methods and prefers FUT because of the higher growth rate. Dr, Shapiro offers two types of FUE procedures at his clinic (manual FUE and ARTAS Robotic FUE) so I think it's unfair to say that he is not a *true* leader in FUE. It is my understanding that FUE was developed specifically due to the advantage of no linear scar in patients who want to wear their hair short in the future. This does not apply to me as I have very long hair. All of these surgeons and coalition members recommend FUT over FUE for my eyebrow transplant for the following reasons: 1) Extraction - FUE would require me to shave a patch of my hair, whereas FUT will not. Even if I were to shave a more inconspicuous patch behind my ears, it would still be very visible when I wear my hair up. This would probably not be a huge concern for someone with short hair, but for someone with long hair, it would take a long time to grow back. 2) Scar - Yes FUT will leave a small linear scar but because they will only be harvesting 500 grafts, the scar will be very small and completely hidden underneath my hair. Because I never intend to wear my hair short, the scar is not a concern for me. FUE, on the other hand, even when performed by a top surgeon, has the risk of leaving spotty scarring. Every person heals differently and there is no way to predict if it will scar. I would rather have a small linear scar that can be hidden under my hair then a bunch of spotty scarring on the back of my neck or all over my legs that will be very visible. 3) Survival rate - All of the above surgeons (who perform both FUT and FUE) contend that FUT has a better survival rate. Grafts harvested with FUE are finer with less tissue protection and therefore more susceptible to trauma, and there is a potential for less yield. I am not advocating FUT over FUE, I am simply stating that I was told I am not the best candidate for FUE because of the reasons I listed above. I think it is misleading to make blanket statements such as "FUE is best for eyebrows" when that may not be the case for everyone. I have seen some excellent results with FUE for eyebrows, but I have also seen excellent results with FUT and I don't think anyone should be discouraging people from listening to the advice of top surgeons in the field, even if their opinion may different from yours - they are the experts for a reason.

If FUE is optimal for eyebrow reconstruction then why do all the top surgeons - Shapiro, Rahal, Epstein, Hasson & Wong, etc. recommend FUT? I have not found one doctor who will do an eyebrow transplant using FUE. They all concur that FUT has a higher growth rate. Furthermore, they say that because only a small amount of grafts are needed (ie. 500) the scar would be so small and completely undetectable for someone with long hair. If hair were taken from the nape via FUE or body hair such as the legs, wouldn't it leave little spotty scars which would be visible on the legs or on the nape of the neck if you wear a pony tail. It just seems that the consensus among all the top transplant surgeons is that FUT is the gold standard.

Hi Dr. Nakatsui, This looks like really good growth for only 4 months. I'm strongly considering this procedure. I sent you an email about a week ago inquiring about this. I look forward to hearing back from you. ~ Ashley

I'm considering having an eyebrow transplant. I was wondering if there are any surgeons in Canada or United States who specialize in eyebrow transplants? I'm looking for a surgeon who has extensive experience performing eyebrow transplants specifically. I would appreciate some recommendations. Thank you.

Jlondon, Can you please tell me who did your first eyebrow transplant (send me a private message if you prefer)? Did you go to another physician to have a repair?

I have thin eyebrows from years of overplucking. I have tried Rogaine and Latisse to regrow them with little success. I think the follicles are damaged and will not regrow. I am considering an eyebrow transplant to restore the thickness of my eyebrows. I have consulted with four top hair restoration surgeons - Dr. Keene, Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Wong and Dr. Rahal. Dr. Keene is worried I could be at risk for shock loss because I have existing eyebrow hairs. She said my native hairs could fall out and may or may not grow back. In my consults with the other surgeons, I was told this risk is minimal and if I do experience any shock loss it will only be temporary. I really want to have this procedure done, but I don't want to end up with less hair than I have now. Is there a significant risk of permanent shock loss wherein the native hairs do not grow back? Is there anything that can be done to prevent shock loss? I appreciate the feedback. Thank you.